New year, new outlook! Help your children – and yourself! – adopt a healthier lifestyle with these wellbeing tips from Tanglin Trust School.
Our children’s wellbeing is vital, especially when it comes to transitioning at school – moving to a new school, moving up to a new year group and returning from the holidays each have their own challenges. And, with concerns over the mental health of young people gathering momentum worldwide, many schools are becoming more proactive in promoting ways in which children, staff and parents can enhance their own personal health and wellbeing.
Tanglin Trust Infant School has subsequently adopted the internationally known ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’: identifying personal strengths, rising to challenges, accomplishing goals, engaging with people and the world around you, and achieving it all with a sense of purpose. These five actions, undertaken individually or collectively as part of everyday routines, can help to boost your child’s mental wellbeing and create the right conditions for them to learn more about themselves.
“Good mental and physical health is important to help us all enjoy a healthier and happier life, enabling us to flourish and cope with the challenges life presents,” says Angela Dawson, Assistant Headteacher of Infant School at Tanglin. “So, as we move forward through 2020 and into this new decade, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect upon your own day-to-day routines and those of the people you care about by investing in your family’s’ mental wellbeing as much as you look after their physical health.”
Here, Angela shares some steps you can take to ensure everyone in your family, from the youngest to the oldest, can ‘Feel Good and Function Well’ every day…
#1: Connect
It’s important to connect with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours at home, work, school and in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them; building these connections will support and enrich you every day. And be open about how you feel – it’s healthy for your body and mind to let things out in order to help you process your emotions.
#2: Take notice
Be curious and catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Do what you love and savour the moment. Above all, look up from your phone or laptop and really take notice of the world around you, right now. Get your children involved by asking what brings them joy and happiness, and encourage them to be aware of the world around them and what they are feeling. Reflecting on both your own and their experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
#3: Keep learning
Learning new skills can boost your child’s confidence, raise their self-esteem and give them a real sense of achievement. Encourage them to try something new, rediscover an old interest, to play an instrument or pick up a new sport.
#4: Be active
Maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle is essential for good health at all ages and life stages, plus gives your mind and body a much-needed boost! It’s also easy, often inexpensive and fun to do with all the family. So, go for a walk or run. Ride a bike. Play an outdoor game. Being active with your children is also a great way of nurturing your connection with each other.
#5: Give
The act of giving – be it time, a service or a friendly ear – can make all the difference. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.
Find out more about Tanglin Trust School at its upcoming open house events.
Nursery Open Morning
Thursday, 23 January, 9am
Tanglin Trust School Open Morning
Thursday, 20 February, 9am
Where: Tanglin Trust School, 95 Portsdown Rd, Singapore 139299
Contact info: 6778 0771 / adm[email protected]
This post is in partnership with Tanglin Trust School.